tonight on "nightline," running on empty. new york's world famous marathon called off, as the city struggles to cope with its fifth day of blackouts, fuel and supplies growing scarce as nights grow colder. second time around. it was a historic moment of hope and change. but will african-american voters return enforce for barack obama this time? >> we're in the same spot as we were when bush was president. and battleground road trip. the candidates are fighting tooth and nail for these girl scout moms and die hard cheese heads. so, "nightline" co-anchor bill weir hit the road in the swing state of wisconsin. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, bill weir and tonight, juju chang in new york city, this is fwhl until, november 2nd, 2012.

good evening, i'm juju chang. in the five days since superstorm sandy ravaged the east coast, those caught in its path are still reeling from the magnitude of the crisis. we now know the storm took the lives of at least 105 people, and caused an estimated $50 billion in damage and knocked out power to 8.5 million initially and 3.6 million people still remain in the dark tonight. and late today, in new york city, the largest marathon in the world was canceled for the first time ever in its 42-year history, following days of outrage at the specter of precious resources being deployed away from relief efforts. not far from the starting blocks for the marathon, staten island is a wasteland of destruction. >> within seconds, my street was getting flooded with water. >> reporter: jennifer has been staying at this hilton garden inn since the storm forced her to evacuate. >> they didn't have jackets, they didn't have nothing. we had nothing for them, no diapers, we just literally ran

for our lives. >> reporter: she's not alone. the hotel is packed with families, all displaced by sandy's rath. normally this time of year, the front desk would be bust. ing with runners from all over the world who made reservations months in advance. but this hotel owner made the tough decision not to kick out his current guests in order to make room for marathoners. it seems to me a hotel like you has a moral dilemma. >> i don't know if it was a moral dilemma. it was the right thing to do. >> reporter: he was worried hi bosses would be jut set with him. >> this morning, i got a call on my cell phone from the president of hilton garden inn, he said, i could almost cry. he said, we are with you for whatever you need. we will do whatever you need. >> reporter: with their generous support, he's even playing host to the red cross volunteers, who are sleeping on cots in one of the hotel's ballrooms. >> they're not used to white duvet covers. >> reporter: these are hilton. >> they are camping in places.

>> reporter: much of new york is still in a state of emergency, as we saw today. it looks like traffic but this line of cars is actually a gas line. so, how long have you been in line? >> since 7:30 in the morning. >> reporter: 7:30 in the morning? that's, like, you're running on ten hours. >> yep. >> reporter: this is one of the very few gas stations that was still pumping gas after sandy and it just happens to be along the route of the marathon. there is a line 30 blocks a mile long of people waiting to get gas and as you can see -- they just ran out. not far from here, people were stick clamors for essentials. >> back up so the next person can get them. >> reporter: at a nearby shelter, people are tired, frustrated and hungry for a hot meal. >> when was the last time you guys had a hot meal? >> three days. >> reporter: everything at the neighborhood supermarkets have been destroyed. from the food to the freezers that used to hold it. a million spectators usually

crowd the streets to cheer on the marathoners. this year, they're lining up for basics. in manhattan, where the race famously ends, the lights were only beginning to flicker on tonight, five days after this ordeal began. so, you can imagine why so new yorkers who have been living in the dark were less than thrilled to see four large generators brought in to power the marathon's media tent. >> there's children out there who are without blankets, without anything. >> reporter: it was the rising tide of outrage that seems to have forced to city and race organizers to pull the plug. >> it was time to make an incredibly difficult decision that we made together. it's time to move forward for new york. >> reporter: it was also an expensive decision. the city expected to make $340 million from visiting marathoners. and there's also the heartbreak of would be runners and the city that loves to cheer them on. but sandy couldn't cancel everything. tonight, at the hotel in staten island, while the red cross

volunteers get some much-needed rest, there's a celebration in the next ballroom. ♪ the bride's family home was destroyed, but the parents say they never once thought of calling off the wedding. >> for a day, you have to put all of it aside and just live for your children, because that's the most important thing. >> reporter: and that is what everyone in sandy's path is doing. re-evaluating their priorities as the recovery moves ahead. and clearly those recovery efforts will be enormous and enormously expensive. and all of us here at abc news have been moved by the scope of sandy's destruction, and the human suffering in its wake. we want to help and we know that you do, too. the abc television network has designated monday, forever, november 5th, as, a day of giving. all abc news programs including "nightline" will participate. to see how you can take part,

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>> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with juju chang. >> the election is rapidly approaching and the next four years will be determined in just the next four days. the latest abc news poll shows mitt romney leading by one point. and while president obama enjoys overwhelming up port from african-americans, it's complicated. a new documentary series asking, will those same voter who propelled him to victory in 2008 turn out again? here's abc's pierre thomas for

your voice, your vote. >> what he represented to a nation of kids was hope. >> in this campaign ad released today, superstar rapper jay-z encourages black voters to get out the door and into the polling booth for barack obama. >> i'm barack obama and i approve this message. >> reporter: with a 96% approval rating among black voters, though -- >> four more years! four more years! >> reporter: you may wonder why it's necessary. the reason? while support for the president among the democratic faithful remains high, this time, there's a decidedly different feel than that of election night 2008, a historic moment for the country as a whole, but a particularly meaningful one in the african-american community. >> i can't believe it! >> reporter: the tears flowed freely. raw emotion, hard for many to truly explain. thoughts of the legacy of slavery, jim crow and overcoming. converging in one epic instant. >> my dad, he cried, my

household was very emotional. my family got together. >> i called my pops. it was a day he never thought he'd ever see. i never thought i would ever see it. >> reporter: but it is now four years later and euphoria has given way to the harsh reality of economic pain. and there are scars created by a divided country. still, at times wrestling with issues of race. a new black entertainment television documentary series, "second coming," peels back the layers of the devoted by complicated relationship black voters have with the president. >> crime is rising. >> he's doing a good job or bad job? >> he hasn't had a whole lot of time. >> he's got four years. >> i think there's no doubt the thrill is gone. that moment in 2008 was a once in a lifetime experience. >> reporter: mark levin sent teams around the country to talk to blacks from every walk of life. >> did i think he was going to save black america? no. >> reporter: there are frustrations. as blacks have been hit harder been the great recession than

any other group. black unemployment is almost double the national average. >> to me, he hasn't done anything. economy hasn't gotten better. we're in the same spot we were when bush was the president. >> reporter: and another emotional thing has surfaced. gay marriage. >> i think same sex couples should be able to get married. >> i don't even care what obama says. jesus said marriage is between a man and a woman. >> reporter: this reverend, the pastor of a large african-american congregation in baltimore, is among those profiled in the documentary. a fiery charismatic speaker, he's among a new generation of black religious leaders diving into the political fray. >> this election has far reaching implications. >> reporter: you part ways with the president on the issue of gay marriage. >> yes. i'm against the president on that issue. >> reporter: but he still supports obama. >> i think where it is that the african-american community and the black pastors have got to

mature is one issue ought not be able to sever the relationship. >> reporter: are you concerned that some of the black pastors are going to tell their congregations to stay at home or vote the other way? >> that's a very small minority. african-american community has more than one opinion. i think parishioners are still going to go vote and in large numbers they're going to vote for the president. >> reporter: abc news polling suggests there has been no significant dropoff in black enthusiasm for obama than in 2008. >> voting for obama? >> yeah! >> reporter: but aside from the usual support democrats reveal on, the series reveal one additional motivation. >> this pat has a deep hatred for white people. >> this man hates this country. >> reporter: a simmering anger many blacks feel about how they believe the president has been treated. >> we seen that governor put her finger in his face. when you have seen somebody do

the president like that? >> i think it is a deep-seeded racism that we have not yet confronted. >> reporter: there will be people that hear that and say, you know, there they go again. >> yes. >> reporter: when you hear that mantra, let's take america back, what do you think they're talking about? >> i really think they're saying, let's take the paradigm back to the way it used to be. a good old boy's system at the country club are drinking around palmers. >> reporter: if the filmmakers have tapped into black anger, they share it. >> angry? yeah, i'm angry about that. there's never been a president who has been treated as shabbily as this president. >> reporter: and they hope that anger will translate into heavy black turnout for the president. >> we got to shake every tree, break into every barbershop. yell from every church. november 6th, let's shut it down. got to be about the election. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> our thanks to pierre. "second coming" is available on

bet.com. next up, from the cheeseheads to the cookie lovers, these are the crucial voters who will pick the next president. "nightline" co-anchor bill weir road trips to battleground wisconsin. [ dennis ] it only took two minutes for this town to be destroyed. to a little girl who lived through it, this is more than a teddy bear. it's a step towards normal. it's why allstate catastrophe teams not only have hot coffee and help for grownups... they've also handed out

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with the election neck and neck, how did some of the nicest people in the country end up with some of the meanest politics? crucial swing state wisconsin is already battle weary after the contentious recall vote of their governor scott walker, and now, it's become a battleground. battleground wisconsin. here's "nightline" co-anchor bill weir for your voice, your vote. >> paul ryan heads back to his home state. >> reporter: ramble through the midwest these days and the old real estate agent's mantra of location, location, location takes on a whole new meaning. for example. these voters -- they are worth their weight in electoral college gold because they live in swing state wisconsin. meanwhile, way over here in illinois, this place is a deep blue foregone conclusion. no matter what these leaf raking romney fans do. >> most of the state of illinois is going to be red but chicago's going to be blue. just going to go blue.

i understand the electoral college. it's a little different situation now. >> reporter: yeah, yeah. >> you have a video camera on a stick. >> thanks a lot. lemonade. cinnamon -- >> reporter: meanwhile, back over the border, i meet the mom of a girl scout who happens to be exactly the kind of person who may just decide this whole thing. you're undecided? >> yes, i am. >> reporter: really? you're like seeing a snow leopard in the wild. this is very exciting. >> obama promised a lot of stuff and hasn't reached that part yet. >> reporter: unmet promises. the president is counting on that kind of voter to swing his way. along with the kind of urban professionals who show up to a halloween party at the ultra hip iron horse hotel in milwaukee. but it is not so cut and dry. >> i'm going to vote for mitt romney. >> mitt romney. >> reporter: romney? why? >> because he's more closely

matches who we are as regular folks, what our ideals are. and for the social safety net. don't get me wrong. i want to help the helpless, to quote dennis miller, but i don't want to help the clueless. >> i'm definitely going to vote for obama. i pay a lot of income taxes. but you know, i look at that as a badge of success. you know? and i know i'm not going to -- who am i to judge someone less fortunate than me, you know, on food stamps? >> reporter: everything you say makes sense considering that you are on a mission from god. >> i'm leaning one way. >> reporter: how are you leaning? >> i'm leaning for america. >> such a divide that i think people are making it more of a personal thing -- >> scott walker recall just -- >> it's been -- >> politics the last four years. >> reporter: exhausting, right? >> it has been exhausting.

>> reporter: couple points of trivia. my home state here leads the nation in most bars per capita and in most bush/obama counties, that is, people who voted for george bush in 2004 and then barack obama in 2008. they really vote the candidate, not the party. how many cows do you have total? >> 820 cows. >> reporter: wow. hello, girls. so, yes, it is easy to find conservative dairy farmers upstate, like dan brick. do you get subsidies from the government? >> yeah, very little subsidies. my thought is, i wish they would eliminate all subsidies altogether. part of it is just because the government is broke. >> oh, my goodness. >> reporter: but if you wander up to hallowed lambeau field on a sunday morning and if you hang out with the most sophisticated tailgate partiers in the world you'll find all stripes. conservatives, liberals,

socialists, many of them either related or best friends for life. >> romney is a successful man and -- >> can't say obama's not. >> successful politician. >> you can't say obama's not. >> what did he do in the business world? >> he's written multiple books. he's made a -- >> he made himself money, yes. what did romney do? >> he made himself money by putting others out of business. >> he built business. >> and he pulled them down. >> anyway. >> reporter: and they all seem to agree that the end of this election cannot some soon enough. and all divisions disappear. right about here. i'm bill weir for "nightline" in green bay, wisconsin. >> got to love the cheesehead in bill. thank you, bill. thanks for watching abc news. jimmy kimmel is next. have a safe weekend.